ABSTRACT
The students suggested in their demonstration that Coach Smith is only a symptom of a much larger problem, a systemic problem within intercollegiate athletics and Mid-State around issues of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. In a recent national study of campus climate for underrepresented groups with more than 17,000 participants, respondents indicated that of all the underrepresented groups on campus, the climate was “least accepting” of people who are LGBTQA. Early systems theories of organizational change explored the process by which educational institutions evolve. In this chapter, the desired outcome is a community of difference (i.e., diversity) where students who are LGBTQA feel safe and valued. Students involved in planning campus-wide responses to the homophobic and heterosexist environment in the women’s basketball program at Mid-State are educated about systems of institutionalized inequities. There are many different motives for creating safe campuses for students who are LGBTQA.
